


Raising the Roof

by TheEigthPillarGeneral



Series: Black Moon [1]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Concerts, Fanservice, M/M, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-09
Updated: 2018-03-09
Packaged: 2019-03-29 06:19:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13921188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheEigthPillarGeneral/pseuds/TheEigthPillarGeneral
Summary: Tonight is Abarai Renji's first concert as the brand new lead guitarist of Black Moon, an up-and-coming metal band. At the same time, tonight is Kuchiki Byakuya's first time attending a metal concert after being goaded by Shihouin Yoruichi, his colleague and the manager of Black Moon.





	Raising the Roof

**Author's Note:**

  * For [junko](https://archiveofourown.org/users/junko/gifts), [Josey (cestus)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cestus/gifts).



> My favourite band, the GazettE, released a new song today. I was so excited and pumped by this new song that this idea struck me and I just had to start writing it. I hope you enjoy!

 

“Can you believe that we were sold out for tonight?” Hisagi Shuuhei asked while tuning Kazeshini, his black Jackson King V guitar. “Feels like it was only yesterday we joined Inuzuri Music. It’s amazing how far we’ve come.”

“Pfft, you sound like an old lady, Hisagi,” Kurosaki Ichigo snorted, looking over himself in the mirror. “That ain’t like you.”

Hisagi scowled lightly. “Wanna go, strawberry?” he challenged.

“Guys, no fighting before going onstage,” Abarai Renji interrupted. He’d just finished putting on his eyeliner and was now tying his hair up. “We got a full house tonight, so we need to focus on performing.” Once his hair was up, he tied the maroon bandana around his forehead. He then went to the couch and picked up his own guitar, a blood-red B.C. Rich Warlock guitar he named Zabimaru, and slung it over his shoulder to tune it.

Chad, or Sado Yasutora, patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry, Renji,” he reassured, picking up his red, black, and white Ibanez Soundgear bass guitar. “They do that a lot. It’s like their pre-show ritual, like how you lift weights.”

Right then, Hitsugaya Toushirou spoke. “It’s your first performance with us tonight, Renji,” he said, having finished his push-ups. “How are you feeling?”

“A little nervous,” Renji confessed. “But I’m excited.”

“That’s the spirit!” Ichigo encouraged. “You’re gonna do great! Besides, the fans are gonna be seeing you live for the first time, and you have everything: the looks, the skills… they’re gonna love you!”

Renji still couldn’t believe that he was here. Only months ago, he’d been struggling to sign on with a good music company but now, he was the brand new lead guitarist of Black Moon, an up-and-coming metal band under the independent Inuzuri Music label. And he was going to be doing his first live show tonight, at Zepp Karakura. As nervous as he was, Renji couldn’t deny: he was really excited.

He’d been rehearsing for several months with his bandmates, and had already recorded three new singles with them, and he was really enjoying their company. Kurosaki Ichigo, the vocalist, had a tough yet somewhat boyish charm to him. With orange hair that brushed against his neck and fell in front of his eyes, an energetic smile, and a great voice, there was no denying that he was quite hot. Renji found it hard not to stare at him, especially when he was in his current stage outfit: an ankle-length tattered coat with the right-sleeve missing over black jeans and boots. The coat showed off Ichigo’s well-toned arm, which had a chain coiling around it, and a black glove upon the hand. Without a doubt, Ichigo was very attractive.

Then there was Hisagi Shuuhei, the rhythm guitarist. He looked very punk, with spiky black hair, two tattoos on his face (a 69 on his left cheek and a pale-blue rectangle over the bridge of his nose), and three scars straight over his right eye. Dressed in a black tank top that showed off his toned arms and a pair of ripped jeans, Hisagi had a more understated punk look, yet pulled it off really well. In the first month he’d joined, Renji had looked to Hisagi as a senpai, and he’d been taught many tricks with the guitar that he planned on using now.

Sado Yasutora, also known as Chad, was the bassist, and a great friend. Because of his Mexican heritage, he was a bit darker-skinned than everyone else, and he was also very well-built. With brown hair, a goatee, muscular arms shown off by his white tank-top, and pale-blue jeans, Chad was mostly silent, but a very friendly guy. He even had a deep voice that pretty much suited his role as the bassist.

Lastly was Hitsugaya Toushirou, the drummer of the band. He had white and spiky hair and like the rest of the band, he wore black eyeliner to emphasize his eyes, but he also wore a turquoise ‘X’ across his face as part of his signature look. Dressed in a gray T-shirt with the sleeves cut off and white ripped jeans, Hitsugaya had wild drumming skills that never failed to leave Renji amazed.

Their last lead guitarist had quit the band after getting married, which had left them searching for a new and talented guitarist. Then, Renji came along and after taking one look at him, Ichigo had him join the band without even hearing him playing. After all, Renji did have the perfect looks for being a rockstar. With tan skin, long red hair, intricate black tattoos all over his muscular body, and a bad boy attitude, Renji was formidable.

Of course, they’d been just as impressed when they heard Renji play as well, which made it even better. And now, Renji was going to not only perform for the first time, he was going to be joining them in recording their upcoming album afterwards.

A knock on the door to the dressing room had them all paying attention as Shihouin Yoruichi, their manager, stepped inside. “Well, looks like everyone’s ready!” she said, smiling. “And you, Renji? How are you feeling?”

Renji shrugged. “Nervous, but I’m pretty excited as well,” he admitted.

“That’s great to hear!” Yoruichi said. “Everything’s been set up on stage, and the fans are all eagerly waiting for you to perform.” She then grinned at Renji. “And they’re especially excited to see you.”

Renji blushed a little. “R-Really?”

“Renji!” Ayasegawa Yumichika, their makeup artist, stepped inside, tutting in disapproval. “I’m sorry, but your ponytail needs to go. And so does the shirt.”

“What? Why?” Renji was surprised.

“Don’t bother trying to argue with him,” Hisagi advised. “Once he says something related to fashion, there’s no point in trying to change his mind.”

Yumichika was shaking his head. “Look at you, Renji,” he chided. “You have such gorgeous tattoos and a great body. Your hair is absolutely amazing! So why are you trying to hide it all? As they say, if you got it, flaunt it!”

“Well, I… I don’t really want to hog all the attention,” Renji said, rubbing the back of his neck like a teenager.

Ichigo shook his head while smiling. “You’re too modest, Renji!” he told him. “If you got it, flaunt it! Besides, you won’t be hogging all the attention! And if you do have a bit more, then that’s great! Just own it, Renji!”

“He’s right,” Hitsugaya agreed. “It’s your first concert. You shouldn’t get too worried about something like stealing attention.”

Well, these guys were more experienced on the stage, Renji supposed. Maybe he should take their advice. “If you say so,” he conceded.

Renji set Zabimaru down on the couch and shrugged out of his shirt, tossing it onto a chair. He then reached up and removed his bandana before untying his crimson-red hair, letting it spill past his shoulders and flow freely.

Chad nodded in approval. “Much better,” he said.

“Damn, you look so hot!” Ichigo blurted, blushing slightly.

Hisagi eyed his tattoos in appreciation. “Lovin’ the ink, man,” he praised.

“Lookin’ good, Renji!” Yoruichi said, grinning. “The fans are really gonna love ya tonight.”

Hitsugaya smiled. “Own it, Renji,” he said. “You’re good-looking, so be proud of it!”

“Yes, sir,” Renji said, feeling a little bit more confident.

“Good! Now then, boys, it’s show time!” Yoruichi told them, a smile crossing her face. “Make sure it’s a good one, alright? Try to bring the roof down.”

“Damn straight, we will!” Ichigo said, grinning. “Let’s go!”

“You ready, Renji?” Hisagi asked.

Renji nodded, smiling. “I’m more than ready,” he said. “Let’s do this.”

* * *

Kuchiki Byakuya glanced at his phone, reading the most recent text from Shihouin Yoruichi, one of his colleagues. As usual, it was about the new band she was managing.

_You ready to see Black Moon tonight, Byakuya-bo? Trust me, you’re gonna love it! Once you hear their music, you’re gonna want them under your company!_

That demon cat… Byakuya should’ve been at home, preparing for a meeting tomorrow. As the CEO of Senbonzakura Music, one of the biggest record labels in Japan, he had a lot of responsibilities, and he didn’t have time to check out all the concerts in the country. However, at the insistence of Rukia, his sister-in-law and a music producer under his label, and the goading of Yoruichi, Byakuya now found himself standing at the very front of the stage in a slowly-crowding Zepp Karakura to see Black Moon, a popular metal band under the small Inuzuri Music label.

Despite being under a lesser-known label, Black Moon had been slowly growing in popularity over the last two years. Apparently, tonight was going to be the first performance of their brand new lead guitarist: Abarai Renji. Byakuya wasn’t into metal music at all, but Rukia had insisted that he come along with her, promising that he was going to love the show.

Byakuya was dressed in a maroon button-up shirt with black jeans, his long, inky-black hair spilling past his shoulders. Next to him stood Rukia, dressed in a black blouse and a jean skirt. Along with her were her friends Inoue Orihime, Matsumoto Rangiku, Ise Nanao, and Hinamori Momo, all of them dressed in similar punk-like clothes.

All of them were happily chatting away about the band members.

“Did you hear about their new guitarist?” Rangiku was saying excitedly. “He’s supposed to be gorgeous!”

“He has tattoos all over his body!” Momo added, looking equally eager. “In fact, some people say that they go all the way down!”

“Pfft, no way is that true!” Nanao said disbelievingly. “But his hair is so beautiful!”

“And he wrote the latest song, ‘Gomi Tame Mitai na Machi de Ore-tachi wa Deatta’!” Orihime added. “That song was so good! He must really have a way with words!”

Rukia smiled as she turned to Byakuya. “You know, Abarai Renji is actually my childhood friend,” she told him. “I didn’t think that he’d joined a band!”

“Is that so?” Byakuya asked. “Yoruichi tells me that I’m going to like this band. Do you think that I’ll like them?”

“Well…” Rukia paused, trying to find the right words. “I know you don’t like metal music, Nii-sama. And yes, this group does the screaming kind of metal. But their music and lyrics are all about criticizing society and its injustices. And you like music with meaningful lyrics, right?”

“Yes, I do,” Byakuya agreed. “Very well. I shall give Black Moon a chance. However, you do know that I’m not easy to impress.”

Rukia chuckled. “Of course I know,” she said. “But if I say they’re good, surely you’ll believe me?”

“We’ll see,” Byakuya said simply.

By now, the venue was practically full of fans, and the sounds of excited chatter of fans filled Byakuya’s ears as he looked at the stage. Towards the back was a large black drum kit with the design of an oni mask on the largest drum. At the front of the stage were three black boxes, with a microphone at the center and on the right. Byakuya was a little curious as to where the guitars were, but he supposed that the guitarists and bassist had those instruments with them.

Right then, as if on cue, the house lights turned off, and the fans began to cheer. Several lights lit up the stage and shone out onto the crowd as an instrumental opening began to play, much to the fans’ delight. As strobe lights flashed periodically, the members of the band walked out one by one.

First was a somewhat short white-haired man with a turquoise X across his face, who flashed the rock-n-roll hand symbol at crowd, sitting down behind the drums. This was Hitsugaya Toushirou, Byakuya remembered. Rukia had told him which member was which before they’d come here.

Then there was Chad, the dark-skinned bassist who walked out with his red, black, and white bass slung over his shoulder. He waved at the crowd to goad them, and Byakuya could hear so many squeals of delight when Chad flexed his muscles.

After him was the rhythm guitarist, Hisagi Shuuhei. He winked and smiled at the crowd, and Byakuya heard Rangiku and several other women scream excitedly, especially when Hisagi blew kisses to them. His black V-shaped guitar was slung over his shoulder, and he held it at the ready.

The cheers became almost deafening when the last two members walked out onstage. Byakuya barely paid attention to Kurosaki Ichigo, the vocalist, as he turned his attention to the brand new lead guitarist who stepped out under the stage lights.

And Byakuya’s heart froze.

This new man was majestic. He was tall, perhaps over six-feet, and he wore nothing but black ripped jeans that highlighted a nice ass, and motorcycle boots. His jagged red guitar was slung across his muscular, tanned body that was decorated with tribal-like tattoos. He had tiger stripes upon his arms and a unique, interlocking pattern across his chest. From under the guitar peeked dark, jagged lines upon a firm stomach and hipbones. In fact, there were tattoos on his forehead as well.

Even more, the man had long, crimson-coloured hair that fell past his shoulders and really emphasized his tattoos.

Byakuya’s mouth went dry and his heart beat faster with desire.

Then Ichigo let out a menacing death growl into the microphone and the rest of the band burst into music. Byakuya was mesmerized as he watched Renji’s fingers fly across the guitar strings, playing each chord expertly. If that wasn’t enough, the motions of Renji’s headbanging had his crimson hair flying around him, sending heat through Byakuya’s core.

Every movement of Renji’s arms made the tattoos almost ripple over his body. Renji played with passion and fire, and he goaded the crowd to cheer louder several times by moving his fingers in a ‘come-hither’ gesture, mouthing ‘come on!’ to the crowd, and interacting with the other band members in a teasing manner.

Byakuya watched, completely spellbound, when Ichigo teased the crowd by slinging an arm over Renji’s shoulders while singing. Ichigo moved his face closer to Renji and ran his gloved hand up his bare chest before placing a finger under his chin. Renji responded with a lascivious grin as he ground sensually against his guitar, which earned so many screams from the girls in the crowd.

Normally, Byakuya would be appalled at such blatant crudeness. But there was something so seductive and alluring about the way Renji responded by running the tip of his tongue over the shell of Ichigo’s ear before Hisagi joined in on the teasing.

At some point, Byakuya locked eyes with Renji, who regarded him curiously for a moment. Then, to Byakuya’s shock, that crooked grin crossed Renji’s face as the tip of his tongue ran over his upper lip in a seductive manner.

A moan unconsciously slipped from Byakuya’s lips. Fortunately, no one seemed to hear him.

The concert was a blur and before Byakuya even realized, they were at the last song for the night.

“And now, ‘Gomi Tame Mitai na Machi de Oretachi wa Deatta’!” Ichigo shouted into the microphone, earning more cheers. “Let’s go!”

Byakuya recalled Orihime saying that Renji wrote this song. He made sure to be listening carefully as the music began.

Ichigo began singing gently to a more ambient track for a few moments, and then the rhythm dropped into an aggressive, badass melody with a vicious-sounding death growl before the guitarists were playing the hard and aggressive chords. Byakuya should’ve been turned off by the sheer aggression, but seeing Renji play so fiercely… it was mesmerizing. Renji was fierce, wild, and dangerous, and he was most definitely proud of it.

The song was all about two kids who grew up in a poor town, two children who were like family and stuck together at all times. The town was a ‘garbage’ town, with adults like murderers and thieves, and children like stray dogs. And then, these two children met on the streets like trash, and tried to survive living in that hellhole of a town.

Renji’s lyrics were so beautiful, despite how aggressive the music was. Ichigo sang the lyrics with passion and emotion, as if he was telling a story, Renji played the guitar with passion and energy, Hisagi’s rhythm guitar skills complemented Renji’s chords, Chad’s bass gave the song its underlying power, and Hitsugaya gave the song’s energy through the drums.

For some reason, Byakuya found himself so drawn to this song in particular. Was it the lyrics, and how they reminded him of Rukia and his late-wife Hisana? Was it the passion that Renji poured into this song? Byakuya didn’t know at all. All he knew was that this band, especially this man, had potential. And he was determined to make sure they achieved it.

Before he knew it, the concert was at an end. As the band thanked the crowd, Renji picked up his water bottle and, with a grin, splashed it on the people in the front. And soon, they all left the stage and the house lights were coming back on. Almost immediately, Byakuya pulled his phone out to send a message to Yoruichi.

“That was amazing!” Orihime was gushing. “Abarai-kun… he was awesome!”

“And so sexy!” Rangiku squealed. “Those tattoos are so gorgeous, and so is his hair!”

“Your childhood friend is so hot, Rukia!” Momo said to Rukia, her eyes sparkling.

“And he’s so good at the guitar!” Nanao added.

Rukia blushed. “I didn’t know Renji could even growl like that…” she said before turning to Byakuya. “Nii-sama, what did you think?”

Byakuya slid his phone back into his pocket. “Entertaining,” he said. “If you ladies would follow me, please?” His eyes glinted slightly. “I happen to know the manager of this band, and I just spoke to her. She said that you can come and meet the band backstage.”

Rukia stared at Byakuya in surprise while Orihime, Nanao, Rangiku, and Momo almost squealed in excitement.

A small smile briefly tugged at Byakuya’s lips as he glanced at them. “Now then, come with me.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> I know that 'Gomi Tame Mitai na Machi de Oretachi wa Deatta' isn't a rock or metal song, but for this fic, I'm imagining that it's a metal song. In my mind, it sounds like this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWTLA43GxlA).
> 
> The fanservice throughout the concert is a part of Japanese Visual-Kei concerts, and Black Moon has a little bit of Visual-Kei in it. That's why I had to include fanservice. The image of Renji as a rockstar refused to leave me when I first heard the above song, and I hope that you get to imagine it as well. Let me know how I did :)


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